The state of affairs at Everton has seemed to reach a new low following their<a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/everton-lose-again-as-fans-demand-change-20230114-WST-415506.html"> 2-1 loss at home</a> against Southampton in the Premier League on Saturday evening.



Prior to the game, the club’s board of directors were advised to stay away from Goodison Park as what the club described as ‘a real and credible threat to safety and security’.



There was a sit in demonstration against the board by thousands of Everton fans who demanded owner Farhad Moshiri to make changes at the club including both the board and executive levels. 



<h5>Moshiri rejects fan demands</h5>



Moshiri however dismissed the demands leading to widespread resignation of Fan advisory board.



On the pitch too, things couldn’t have gone worse as Frank Lampard’s terrible side went on to lose the game after taking the lead. The Toffees currently sit 19th in the standings having lost 4 of their last 5 league games.



<h5>Role of Usmanov unclear</h5>



The <a href="https:\/\/www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jan/15/questions-mount-over-alisher-usmanovs-links-with-everton-fc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Guardian</a> have now reported that several football managers have raised questions over the ownership of the club. 



It is claimed that several of them were interviewed for the managerial post in the presence of Uzbek Oligarch Alisher Usmanov who had earlier been sanctioned. 



The report comes as a major surprise after the club had publicly announced in <a href="https:\/\/www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/02/everton-suspend-ties-with-russian-companies-linked-to-alisher-usmanov" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">March of 2022</a> that they had suspended all sponsorship deals with Russian companies that were backed by Usmanov.



It is believed that Usmanov attended several meetings alongside Moshiri since his initial acquisition of the club in 2016 until his assets were frozen after Russia’s attack on Ukraine. Usmanov was swiftly sanctioned falling under the category of ‘Putin’s associates’.



Managers who were interviewed for the job were however left with a feeling that Usmanov partly owns the club or has stakes in some shape or form. 



Moshiri however has consistently denied the claims saying that he is the owner of the club.



Usmanov’s spokesperson however hasn’t denied the Uzbek’s presence in the managerial interviews saying, “Mr Moshiri did at times turn to Mr Usmanov for advice given the latter’s significant experience in football, but he [Moshiri] made all the decisions.” Moshiri’s spokesperson however denied the claims saying, “Mr Usmanov has never interviewed or been present during an interview.”



The report from Guardian also states that several managers have claimed that Usmanov might partly own the club while one specific manager mentioned that the oligarch had visited him in Germany regarding the job. Lampard had also earlier <a href="https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/frank-lampard-alisher-usmanov-breaking-23268037" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">stated</a> that Usmanov was in a Zoom call during his interview.



It remains to be seen what the developments would be surrounding the club with these fresh allegations but it looks like nothing’s going right at Everton both on and off the pitch.



Photo credit: IMAGO: Darren Staples / Sportimage

In the wake of Everton's poor form, there is some confusion over the ownership of the club, particularly the role of Alisher Usmanov

Will Everton’s real owner please stand up - World Soccer Talk

Will Everton’s real owner please stand up

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Everton manager David Moyes has finally ended months of speculation by signing a new five-year contract with the club, worth a reported £16.5million. Some have said that Moyes’ failure to sign the deal has contributed to the Toffees poor start to the season, with the club currently in 15th place with eight points from their opening seven matches. Not only has their league form been poor but they already find themselves out of the Carling Cup and the Uefa Cup just two months into the new campaign. However will Moyes’ signature really help the Merseyside club our or are they destined for a tough season?
Last season Everton very nearly made the Champions League and had a very good year by their own standards. Since Moyes took over at Goodison Park in 2002 the only way has been up for the ‘peoples club’ but this season it looks as though Moyes magic may be beginning to wear off. Its not just Everton’s poor start but the fact that they don’t look like the same team they were 12 months ago, Joeleon Lescott and Joseph Yobo looked like rocks in heart of the Everton defence last time around.&nbsp; However this season they look like they have never played together before. Right through the team things don’t seem right, perhaps its because of Mikel Arteta, who they rely on so heavily as a creative influence has been lacking this season or maybe its because Tim Cahill has been struggling on and off with injuries. These two are instrumental for Everton but neither have quite managed to hit the heights of last season and with Arsenal away this weekend&nbsp; Everton’s <a href="http:\/\/betting.betfair.com/football/premiership/">Premier League odds</a> don’t look like they are going to improve.
So will Moyes agreeing his contract sort all this out? Probably not because the clubs future is still surrounded with uncertainty. Chairman Bill Kenwright has admitted he would be interested in selling the club and with the help of Keith Harris the two have begun a search for potential buyers. Kenwright has admitted that the club need to find some financial backing if they are to compete with the ‘big four’ along with completing the proposed new stadium.
So as one cloud is lifted another still remains in the form of the future of the whole club and the question must be asked whether this is a bigger doubt than Moyes’ new contract ever could be. For example with new owners will come new ideas on how the club should be run and those might not include David Moyes or perhaps a proportion of the current squad. Whilst the sale of Everton is probably months, possibiliy even years away, these doubts may still be lingering around a side that really needs to concentrate on its football if they want to maintain the high standards of previous seasons.
As such I am predicting a difficult season for the Toffees, although they are too good to go down it looks as though&nbsp; they will struggle to reach Europe again and look to be heading for a tedious middle table finish. Unless Moyes can turn it around once again <a href="http:\/\/betting.betfair.com/football/premiership/">Evertons odds </a>for success are destine to take a nose dive.

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Will Everton’s real owner please stand up

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